Scout claims he was kicked out for atheist beliefs

IRVING, Texas — A 19-year-old Eagle Scout in Washington state said he was expelled this week because he refuses to believe in a “higher power.”

Darrell Lambert said the regional Chief Seattle Council told him on Nov. 4 that he had been kicked out. The Boy Scouts of America requires its members and leaders to believe in a higher power, although not necessarily a religious one.

Lambert, a self-professed atheist since his freshman year of high school, said his Scout leaders were aware of his beliefs when they gave him his Eagle Scout rank last year.

Lambert said he plans to appeal the decision within the required 60 days. There was no immediate comment from Boy Scout headquarters in Irving, Texas.